First broadcast November 21, 2003

Natalie Merchant/Mostly String Bands

10 p.m. to Midnight Host: Steve Winters

How does one get from pop star Natalie Merchant to string bands? It’s a circuitous route, but Merchant (of solo and 10,000 Maniacs fame) has just recorded an album that is firmly embedded in traditional and contemporary folk and acoustic music. It’s a stunning work that includes, among several accompanists, Richie Stearns and Judy Hyman of The Horseflies, a string band from upstate New York that was playing neo-string band music back in the mid-1980s. Merchant’s album was the starting point for this show that also reaches back into the folk archives for two historical sets.

Also from the world of pop music comes Deni Bonet, an electric violin player, who is now working on a more acoustic-flavored album. She is appearing in Connecticut this weekend.

We closed up the night with two recent old-timey releases, one from North Carolina musicians and the other by pickers from California.